LITTLE,BOOKER - Out Front - Amazon.com Music

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Track Listings

1	We Speak
2	Strength and Sanity
3	Quiet Please
4	Moods in Free Time
5	Man of Words
6	Hazy Blues
7	A New Day

Editorial Reviews

A growing number of younger jazzmen in the early 1960s were exploring ways to further expand their range and depth of communication. One of the quieter but most intense searchers was Booker Little, a 23-year-old Memphis born trumpet player who has become best known for his work with Max Roach. Little's playing is impressive because of his strong-lined lyricism and highly individual, thoughtful conception. His originals and arrangements for Roach were also free of ornamentation and directly emotional. Throughout this album, Roach was a valuable catalyst of ideas, suggesting tympani and other additional percussive effects. Recorded in N.Y.C. in 1961.

Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.56 x 0.39 x 5 inches; 3.04 ounces
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Candid
Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 2009
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ December 7, 2006
Label ‏ : ‎ Candid
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00004U04T
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #279,064 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #3,717 in Modern Postbebop (CDs & Vinyl)
- #5,068 in Bebop (CDs & Vinyl)
- #122,007 in Pop (CDs & Vinyl)

Customer Reviews:
4.8 20 ratings

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Robert Wingfield

Critical Little and Dolphy

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2007

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Booker Little's first session as a leader features a powerful line-up playing a program of all Little originals. This strong studio session features Dolphy, Max Roach, a very young Julian Priester, Don Friedman, and bass duties are split between Ron Carter and Art Davis. No fan of either man should miss this critical chapter in the heartbreakingly short careers of Little and Dolphy. This is the most easily accessible of all the Dolphy /Little pairings and while I am not in love with the way Roach sits too far back in the mix, it is still a lovely little album.

5 people found this helpful

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Robert Kornfeld, Jr.

Great jazz musician

Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2014

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Another great jazz musician whose work is not as well known as it deserves. His work with Eric Dolphy is fantastic.

2 people found this helpful

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David Keymer

A REMINDER OF WHAT JAZZ MUSIC LOST

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2014

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LITTLE, Booker. Out Front. Candid. Orig., 1961; re-released 1989. BL, tpt; Julian Priester, tbn; Eric Dolphy, alto sx, bss clari, flt; Don Friedman, p; Art Davis, Ron Carter, b; Max Roach, dr, tymp, vib.

CARTER, Ron. Where. Prestige. Orig. 1961; re-released 2008. RC, cello, b; Eric Dolphy, alto sx, bss clari, flt; Mal Waldron, p; George Duvivier, b; Charles Persip, dr.

Here are two albums from the start of the 1960s, an exciting period in jazz with new stylists and new styles of jazz appearing after a dynamic but fairly stable decade and a half of bop. Both albums feature players –Dolphy, above all, but also Little and Carter, Max Roach, Priester, Waldron, Friedman—who were stretching boundaries, and in Dolphy’s case, almost breaking them. Carter was 24 then, Little 23 (and dead that October, never to reach 24), Friedman and Priester 26, Dolphy 32 or 33. Waldron, Roach and Persip were in their mid to late thirties and Duvivier was the old man out at 41. The point is: these were young men and for the most part, this is young men’s music. That explains both some of its strengths and some of its weaknesses.

Let me state with the strengths. These are first-rate musicians –in the cases of Dolphy, maybe Little, certainly Roach and Waldron, brilliant improvisers, and Priester and Friedman don’t fall far behind. Persip was a marvelous drummer and, a near miracle for late bop drummers, he could drum as hard using brushes and he could sticks. Duvivier was a rock solid bassist whose presence had graced albums ranging from the traditional to highly avant garde: if it needed playing, Duvivier could play it.

Notice I haven’t mentioned Ron Carter yet. This was Carter’s first recording as leader. He came to it with a solid rep: he’d played in groups led by Jaki Byard and Chico Hamilton and recorded with Dolphy and Don Ellis. Three years later, he would join the second great Miles Davis quintet (1964-68) with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Tony Williams. There’s no question that Carter is one of the great bassists of the modern era, but in 1961, he was young and it shows on this album. He chose to play cello across most of the album, leaving the responsibility for maintaining a pulse in Duvivier’s capable hands. As a consequence, there is one strong horn voice –Dolphy, whatever instrument he was playing on a particular piece—to take the lead, with a second voice on bowed cello, and piano underlying both. It’s a weak, muddy sound. Most of Carter’s solo passages are bowed, not plucked, and he did not at that point in his career have a strong, clear, confident cello sound, not when he bowed it, nor did he articulate the moves from note to note cleanly, as he does in later recordings. I’m not opposed to the use of bowed cello in jazz –Oscar Pettiford was a master at it (although he tuned his cello to make its sound brighter). I do object to muddiness and I do prefer crisp articulation. On the one piece where Carter plays plucked bass, I like it. Throughout, Dolphy is masterful –he is such a strong, distinctive player on alto sax and bass clarinet that you forget that he was also a powerhouse flutist. Where isn’t a bad album at all but over all, it hasn’t worn well.

Nor has the brilliant trumpeter Booker Little’s debut album as a leader, Out Front. Out Front sounds like a Max Roach album, just with a different front man. All the tunes were composed and arranged by Little. He showed talent as a composer. As to the arrangements, they’re good but generic –horn heavy intros with three-horn harmony, followed by solos. Roach plays tympani as well as drums and of course he’s good --Max Roach was always good- but the tympani don’t fit as well here as they did, for instance, on “Bemsha Swing” on Thelonious Monk’s Brilliant Corners. All of the solos are good, and Dolphy’s and Little’s are gooder. Little had a sweet tone. If he had lived, he might have carved out a synthesis of modernism and lyricism, like an avant garde Clifford Brown. That would have been an interesting contrast to the trumpet playing of New Sound trumpeters like the two Dons, Ayler and Cherry. As it is, we have a handful of albums ranging from good to quite good to remind us of what we lost when Booker Little succumbed to uremic poisoning at the age of twenty-three.

5 people found this helpful

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jive rhapsodist

I finally get it

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2006

This CD took its time revealing its charms to me. The use of a kind of omnipresent 3-part triadic harmony felt at the same time too rich and not rich enough. And which side of the Ornette fence does it stand on? Or does it sit on it? Well, these are the dangers of an overly canonical, overly historical approach to Jazz. If Booker would've lived past the age of 23, all would've surely been made clear. This is a very young man's record. And yet, it is the music of one who must have intuited that his time wasn't long. The playing and writing are brilliant, passionate and focused. The dirge - like qualities of Moods In Free Time are what finally woke me up to what's going on in this music. I myself would not have gone back to an ensemble part which resembles the opening at the end - that feels like the easy choice. But that's a minor cavil.

Booker's playing is so assured and lyrical. I love the way he attacks high notes. They don't seem to have the climactic function they have for so many trumpeters - they seem more like an element of design. His solos go very well next to some of composer Stefan Wolpe's music for trumpet. I also feel a link to some of Andrew Hill's music, especially Point of Departure. Not enough has been written about some music of the early - '60's which availed itself of some of the innovations of Free Jazz while continuing to make a music extremely linked to a set harmonic scheme. This is a classic of that music.

22 people found this helpful

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Charles Hines Jr.

Love it! This is a very good Cd by ...

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2014

Love it! This is a very good Cd by the great trumpeter Booker Little who was a tremendously gifted musician. This Cd is a must have for serious jazz music lovers. I also appreciate the prompt service by the seller.

One person found this helpful

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K. Stone

Jazz Quantum

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2011

This album is quite possibly the most inventive&innovative album of '58-'64 period. And since it is not a summation but rather an execution upon the principles of poignancy...I cannot figure how it has been obscured from (or by) the "less" meaningful recordings of say Miles Davis, Max Roach and the Jazz Crusaders. I assume it's likely a favorite "gem" of theory teachers and perhaps this is why it is not more readily offered in successive comparison. It would be unwise to critique any blues-rooted jazz from any period without giving a listen to THIS HERE!!! Exorbitant in its "Uniquity..." of course, I'm sure some critics would easily find fault with its TONE. But in addition to doubletracking some of the most brilliant harmonic dissonance of the genre, "Out Front" also captures "The Taming of the Dolphy," who, though known for his highly argumentative verse, is forced into a reduction of mathematical&classical proportions! Little undoubtedly establishes Memphis Blues as a force to be reckoned with in the influence of the Jazz genre!

3 people found this helpful

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T. Keller

Une merveille.

Reviewed in France on July 11, 2015

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La paire Eric Dolphy-Booker Little est mythique et si elle avait eu le temps de se développer plus et de trouver une section rythmique fixe aurait pu accéder au status du quartet de Coltrane ou des quintet de Miles. Ça fait beaucoup de conditionnel, un temps grammatical malheureusement utilisé fréquemment lorsque l'on parle de ces deux-là, Little décède à 23 ans en 1961 et Dolphy à 36 ans en 1964. Qu'auraient-ils fait si vivant ? Qu'elle aurait été leur réaction à l'arrivée du jazz fusion ? On ne le saura jamais mais peu importe car il s'agit de ce concentrer sur ce qu'ils ont eu le temps de réaliser et qui a prouvé leur valeur. Ils ont enregistré les albums fantastiques que sont "Far Cry" et les live "A The Five Spot" ainsi que diverses collaborations sur les projets d'autres (Max Roach notamment qui joue ici également). Out Front est spécial cependant par son utilisation des cuivres. Superbement arrangés, l'accent est mis sur les possibilités harmoniques de trois cuivres simultanés (Julien Priester est au trombone), ce qui donne une largesse à la musique que l'on ne trouvait pas dans les unissons de "Far Cry" par exemple. Les structures des morceaux sont également singulières, on évite ici le schéma classique du thème-improvisations-thème pour des structures moins détectables comme intro ad lib-thème sur un autre rythme-improvisation trompette-motif collectif sur le thème-improvisations saxophone puis trombone entrecoupées de motifs collectifs-thème-coda (exemple pris sur Hazy Blues). Ces structures plus développés se démarquent du be-bop ou hard-bop où la composition est uniquement le prétexte qui encadre l'improvisation individuelle, ici les passages écrits et collectifs on aussi leur importance. Côté improvisation il n'y a évidemment pas grand chose à redire, les individu présents sont tous simplement excellents.

6 people found this helpful

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A. Jones

No Review Required

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2013

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Look at the personnel - Booker Little, Eric Dolphy, Max Roach, Art Davis, Ron Carter. No need to review the album, just get it.

YOK

ｼﾞｬｽﾞﾄﾗﾝﾍﾟｯﾀｰ栄光の歴史の中でも、ひときわ白眉の天才。どの作品も貴重極まりない

Reviewed in Japan on April 29, 2013

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ﾃｸﾆｯｸと音色とｱﾄﾞﾘｳﾞｾﾝｽと作曲力の高次元での融合という意味では、ﾌﾞﾗｳﾆｰやﾓｰｶﾞﾝすら凌いでいた（23歳での夭折にも関わらず）でのはと、ﾌﾞｯｶｰ・ﾘﾄﾙを知って思うこの頃。とにかく、優しくも美しく澄んだ音色は、伸びやかで力強いﾌﾞﾗｳﾆｰ、粋でｲﾅｾでﾀﾞｰｸな魅力のﾓｰｶﾞﾝ、冷徹無比なｳｨﾝﾄﾝ・ﾏﾙｻﾘｽとも、ﾀｲﾌﾟとしては全く違う。無論、ﾏｲﾙｽの幽玄とも、ﾁｪｯﾄ・ﾍﾞｲｶｰの小粋さとも違い、ｻｯｸｽや他のﾎｰﾝとの絡みの相性に優れた、ｱｰﾄ・ﾌｧｰﾏｰ、ﾄﾞﾅﾙﾄﾞ・ﾊﾞｰﾄﾞ、ﾌﾞﾙｰ・ﾐｯﾁｪﾙとも違う。作曲ｾﾝｽが非常に独特で、相当に凝ったﾃｰﾏ構築や、ﾎｰﾝ・ﾘｽﾞﾑ隊との絡みは、ｸﾗｼｯｸ的なのかも知れないし、しかし変幻自在で全く無駄やﾀﾞﾚのないｱﾄﾞﾘｳﾞはｼﾞｬｽﾞの真髄。この完成度の高さは、彼の少なくはあるが、どの作品にも普遍で、最初っから完成されていると思う。

ﾜﾝﾎｰﾝが冴えて、彼のﾄﾗﾝﾍﾟｯﾄの音色を堪能できるこの前作も無論素晴らしい。完成度の高さなら、やや新主流派系ﾒﾝﾂをそろえた、遺作の「ﾌﾞｯｶｰ・ﾘﾄﾙ・ｳｨｽﾞ・ﾌﾚﾝﾄﾞ」は別格だ。

そして本作、これまた強力無比の面子だ。盟友ｴﾘｯｸ・ﾄﾞﾙﾌｨｰの参加のｲﾝﾊﾟｸﾄは大きいが、面白いのは、かのﾄﾞﾙﾌｨｰのﾗｲﾌﾞの名作「ﾌｧｲﾌﾞｽﾎﾟｯﾄ」。あそこでは、双頭ｺﾝﾎﾟといえども、やはりﾄﾞﾙﾌｨｰの鋭角的で先鋭的なｾﾝｽと、重戦車がうねりながら突撃するようなﾍｳﾞｨﾈｽが印象的なのだが、ﾌﾞｯｶｰ・ﾘﾄﾙがﾘｰﾀﾞｰで主導権を握っているであろう本作では、彼特有の満天の星空に荘厳にゆらめくｵｰﾛﾗのような、天駆ける曲想が炸裂し、ﾄﾞﾙﾌｨｰもそれに合わせた、充分野心的ではあるものの、ﾒﾛｳなﾌﾚｰｽﾞとｱﾝｻﾝﾌﾞﾙを繰り出しているのが面白い。彼もまた、先鋭的なだけでなく、ﾊﾟｰｶｰのようなﾌﾟﾚｲも自由自在な天才だと再確認した。ﾄﾞﾗﾑがﾏｯｸｽ・ﾛｰﾁなのも、かつてのﾌﾞﾗｳﾆｰの後継としてのなごりなのだと思うが、これまた素晴らしい。本当は、ﾏｯｸｽ・ﾛｰﾁは、ﾒﾛﾃﾞｨｱｽで整いすぎる感じが、この60年代にも入れば、やや古く聴こえるのでは？と思ったが、これがどうして、かつてﾌﾞﾗｳﾆｰやﾛﾘﾝｽﾞとやってた頃より、さらに進化したﾌﾟﾚｲを聴かせる。ｿﾛも雷鳴のようだし、ﾊｲﾊｯﾄとﾗｲﾄﾞｼﾝﾊﾞﾙのﾚｶﾞｰﾄも、60年代的ﾓﾀﾞﾝさで、他作でのﾛｲ・ﾍｲﾝｽﾞ、ﾋﾟｰﾄ・ﾗﾛｶとも全く引けを取らない。

ﾌﾞｯｶｰ・ﾘﾄﾙの音楽性については、どう表現すべきだろう。ｵｰｿﾄﾞｯｸｽなﾊｰﾄﾞﾊﾞｯﾌﾟと、新主流派との中間に、ややｸﾗｼｯｸ的な構築美を与えたようなｽﾀｲﾙ？ﾄﾞﾙﾌｨｰと組めば、ﾌﾘｰｼﾞｬｽﾞも出来る万能の人だが、自己のﾘｰﾀﾞｰ作では、そのﾒﾛｳでﾛﾏﾝﾃｨｯｸで温かみにあふれた音楽性が、とにかく絶品。

24 people found this helpful

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Darius

Merveilleux

Reviewed in France on January 18, 2016

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Merveilleux Little B. et quelle modernité, hélas, décédé si jeune....
Il est ici accompagné par des artistes d'un immense talent

2 people found this helpful

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しっかりアメスピ